I have always taken my chocolate seriously….and I mean seriously!!! I never met a chocolate I didn’t fall in love with. However, I must admit I do eat dark, healthy chocolate daily as I know that it is full of healthy flavanoids and antioxidants. Each day I enjoy 2-3 little squares of gourmet healthy chocolate. In total, I am consuming 15,300 ORAC and 2,250 units of flavonoids , Plus 1 billion beneficial micro-organisms.

I will proclaim it here and now…I LOVE CHOCOLATE! I love how it tastes, and I love how it makes me feel.

Now, before I get too serious and bore you to sleep, I want to share some very funny chocolate quotes. If you know me or the writings from my cookbook, Olive Oil Desserts, you know how much I love food quotes. If you don’t know me, that’s okay…. I still think you will get a giggle 😉

I was going to post some health info about chocolate, but I just can’t get serious about chocolate right now, not when I am reading these quotes . So, oh well…I guess I will share more about the healthy benefits of dark chocolate on my next post.

So, here ya go…. and oh yes…..have a healthy and sweet day. Micki

SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT CHOCOLATE MAKES ONE WEAK.

LIFE WITHOUT CHOCOLATE IS NO LIFE AT ALL.

I WANT IT ALL!!! AND I WANT IT DIPPED IN CHOCOLATE.

CHOCOLATE IS CHEAPER THAN THERAPY, AND YOU DON’T NEED AN APPOINTMENT.

CHOCOLATE DOESN’T MAKE THE WORLD GO AROUND. BUT IT CERTAINLY MAKES THE TRIP WORTHWHILE.

AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY GOD CREATED CHOCOLATE.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE CHOCOLATE.

SO MUCH CHOCOLATE. SO LITTLE TIME!

IF THERE IS NO CHOCOLATE IN HEAVEN, I’M NOT GOING!

IN THE COOKIES OF LIFE, FRIENDS ARE THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS.

LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES. . . FULL OF NUTS.

WHAT CAME FIRST, WOMAN OR THE CHOCOLATE BAR?

CHOCOLATE. . . IT ISN’T JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE.

I WOULD GIVE UP CHOCOLATE, BUT I’M NO QUITTER.

THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN A GOOD FRIEND, EXCEPT A GOOD FRIEND WITH CHOCOLATE

CHOCOLATE: HERE TODAY… GONE TODAY!

CHOCOLATE MILK: THE POOR MAN’S CHAMPAGNE

PUT THE CHOCOLATE IN THE BAG AND NOBODY GETS HURT.

A DAY WITHOUT CHOCOLATE, IS A DAY WITHOUT SUNSHINE.

IF IT WERE NOT FOR CHOCOLATE, THERE WOULD NOT BE A NEED FOR CONTROL TOP PANTY HOSE. AN ENTIRE GARMENT INDUSTRY WOULD HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED!

A Few Useless And Not So Useless Facts About Olive Oil
just in case you were wondering…

• Olive oil is medically proven to be good for your heart and good for your overall health.
• Olive oil aids in lowering your LDL cholesterol (mine has dropped 100 points since making the switch to olive oil)
• Olive oil is not a genetically modified food!
• Olive oil is great for lactose intolerant people.
• Olive oil does not contain trans fatty acids (bad for you).
• Olive oil is not hydrogenated (bad for you).
• Olive oil can be kept in your food storage.
• Olive oil can be stored in your refrigerator.
• Olive oil can be frozen.
• Olive oil is technically a fruit juice.
• Olive oil is pressed and not chemically extracted.
• Olive oil is a great massage oil.
• Olive oil was called “the great therapeutic” by Hippocrates.
• Olive oil is produced by over 450 companies in California and Texas.
• Olive oil is high in healthy monounsaturated fats (good for you).
• Olive oil tastes great in traditional desserts (come see for yourself).
• Olive oil makes your heart and tummy smile.
• Olive Oil Desserts have 1/3 less fat and calories.
• Olive Oyl was Popeye’s girlfriend.
• Olive oil has so many beneficial uses, I will need to continue this list on another post!!!

Olive oil is your friend and must not be treated like all other oils. Olive oil can be fragile, yet well worth the effort to keep it fresh. After cooking or baking with your well preserved olive oil, you won’t regret taking a little extra time to keep it fresh.

Olive oil producers all over the globe are well aware that is that once olive oil is produced, it must be packaged immediately to avoid oxidization (exposure to air). When olive oil is exposed to air and light, it begins to become rancid. If you have ever tasted rancid olive oil, it is a taste you will not soon forget. For this reason, fresh pressed olive oil is bottled right a way, and stored in a dark glass container or metal tin.

Olive oil which is stored in unopened tins will remain fresh for up to 5 years.

If you are planning on using your opened olive oil within 3 months, it is acceptable to store it in an airtight container, away from light, and at room temperature.

You may also store your olive oil in the refrigerator. However, please note that sedimentation occurs at temperatures lower than 37 degrees Fahrenheit, and your olive oil will begin to harden (it looks like little clouds). However, it does disappear when the oil returns to room temperature.

Freezing olive oil works well and does not destroy the healthy benefits associated with it. However, be sure and use some of your oil before freezing because expansion may cause your olive oil bottle to crack (or your tin to bulge). When ready to use, place on the counter and bring back to room temperature, it’s just that simple.

It is important to check the “best before” or “bottled on” date on your olive oil label.
Unlike a fine wine, the quality of olive oil does not improve with time. Use your fresh pressed oil within 6 months.

Therefore, you see…. storing your olive oil is simple and fun! Enjoy using olive oil in all of your cooking and baking; it will make your heart smile!!!

My Fellow Americans, With financial markets free falling, the mortgage industry hanging by a thread, jobs at risk, global warming, health care at a breaking point, terrorism fears, foreign fuel issues, voter fraud, computer hackers, secret wire taps, and high cholesterol , many Americans are on overload. As if all of this is not bad enough, we have to elect a new President! Aghhhh, are you as frustrated and confused as I am?

Who do we trust? Who do we believe? Who has it right? Who would best be able to lead our great nation? And by what criteria should we choose our new leader? I too have asked myself these very questions, and have come up with what I believe to be a reasonable solution.

Scrap the whole dirty politics as usual and let’s have an Apple Pie Bake Off! Obama and his Apple Pie vs McCain and his Apple Pie. Really, if either of these men are a real live, red blooded American, they should surely be able to bake an Apple Pie

Honestly now, either candidate can say “I am going to do this”, or, “I am going to do that”. Just think about it, if either one of these gentlemen wants to SHOW us which of them is truly as “American as Apple Pie”; they are going to have to bake. Then, we will have a national taste test which will be comprised of a bipartisan committee of blindfolded grandmas, over the age of 75, ten of them from each state in the union. No need to worry about voter fraud, or hanging/pregnant chads of any kind, because everyone knows that grandma is as honest as can be.

So there you have it, a practical, simple, solution to electing our new President.

Oh yes, just in case either candidate is searching for the perfect Apple Pie recipe, try mine! It is made with heart healthy olive oil, and tastes fantastic! And should either candidate win with my recipe (and one of them will), I will be expecting a position in the new cabinet as the Secretary of Agriculture.

A small price to pay to the use of my recipe, don’t ya think?

Perfect Olive Oil Pie Crustyields 1~2 piece pie crust

Oil pie crusts are notorious for being difficult to work with. After much experimenting, this crust came out perfect. It is the most simplest pie crust you will ever make. It bakes up light and crispy.

With heart disease on the rise and unhealthy trans fat making headlines as one of the main culprits, many people are looking for better ways to improve their diet. The challenge is thatmost baked goods contain unhealthy trans fat and hydrogenated oils. For this reason, many peoplefind themselves having to say ”No” to the one food group they love the most – dessert.